• While the government continues to figure out how to deal with the Naxalite problem, it’s actually scaling up with notable speed in affected states (‘The insurgent’s mind’, IE, September 25). The recent arrest of Kobad Ghandy proves that development is definitely not the solution. The problem lies deep, so does the solution. The government needs to upgrade its way of looking at Naxalism and dealing with it. Merely pointing to the low literacy rate and designing the special educational programme will not help faster education. Rather, most of it may end up helping the growth of rebels like Ghandy. Since the consequences can already be seen, there shouldn’t be any further delay in digging deep and finding the actual roots of the problem.

— Divita Yadav Jaipur

Not needed

• Why should we listen to the likes of Kobad Ghandy who remain infatuated with a discredited philosophy when similar conclusions were drawn by the Planning Commission’s task force? Poverty, low literacy, high infant mortality, low per capita foodgrain production, etc are pan-Indian problems that cannot be extenuating circumstances for left-wing militant groups to instigate violence selectively in certain states. While all underdeveloped areas deserve a share in the development pie, no particular group or region should get priority by pointing a gun at the government. Both the Union and state governments are conscious of the need for containing insurgency, accompanied by developmental programmes. So the services of latter-day revolutionaries are not needed.

— Ajay Tyagi Mumbai

... contd.